Catheter localization is a key technology for advancing minimally invasive surgical procedures. Localization technology provides an alternative to imaging in many catheter procedures and is presently applied in several specialties including neurosurgery, electrophysiology, and other surgical fields. This project will develop enabling technology that will allow localization to be applied to small catheters such as microcatheters and guidewires, and will allow localization to be integrated into catheters having limited space due to the addition of auxiliary sensors. Additionally, this technology enables guidewire localization information from points on the wire proximal to the wire tip, thus alerting the physician to wire prolapse. In phase I, Koronis Biomedical Technologies will design and fabricate a new ultra-miniature sensor for micro-catheter localization using thin-film Giant MagnetoResistive (GMR) technology. In phase II a prototype catheter localization system will be developed and evaluated. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Thin film Giant MagnetoResistive (GMR) sensors can be applied to extremely small micro- catheters and guidewires. This enabling technology provides an alternative to visualization during catheter procedures including neurosurgery, electrophysiology and other surgical fields.